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■  ?  4  (d'o  S><3 


ADULT  BAPTISM 


THE  RT.  REV.  GEORGE  BURGESS,  D.D., 

BISHOP  OF  THE  PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  IN  THE 
DIOCESE  OF  MAINE. 


NEW-YORK: 

[Protestant  episcopal  society  for,  the  promotion  op 

!  EVANGELICAL  KNOWLEDGE, 

11  BIBLE  nOUSE,  ASTOR  PLACE. 

1857. 


s  J, 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


In  all  Christian  countries  except  our  own,  al¬ 
most  all  persons  have  been  baptized  in  their  infancy. 
It  was  so  amongst  the  settlers  of  our  country. 
But  at  present,  in  the  United  States,  the  majority 
die  in  childhood  unbaptized,  or  arrive  unbaptized  at 
manhood.  A  denomination  which  rejects  all  bap¬ 
tism  except  that  which  is  performed  by  immersion 
and  at  a  ripe  age,  has  become  in  its  various  branches, 
an  overwhelming  multitude.  Far  beyond  its  own 
limits,  its  influence  casts,  of  course,  a  shade  of  doubt 
over  what  was  once  prized  as  a  sweet  consecration 
of  the  cradle  and  the  fireside.  Amongst  several 
other  denominations,  the  practice,  after  a  struggle, 
has  been  confined  to  the  children  of  communicants. 
Everywhere,  it  is  easier  to  leave  undone  than  to  do : 
^  arguments  on  the  side  of  neglect  are  readily  ad¬ 
mitted  ;  and  children  will  remain  without  baptism, 
if  their  parents  believe  infant  baptism  to  be  wrong, 
or  doubt  whether  it  is  right,  or  are  quite  indifferent 
to  the  duties  of  religion,  or  permit  themselves  to 
postpone  acknowledged  duties  from  month  to  month, 


4 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


and  then  from  year  to  year.  Thus  it  is  that  so  many 
of  those  into  whose  hands  this  tract  may  fall,  will 
find  in  it  an  appeal  to  themselves ;  for,  very  possibly, 
half  of  them  are  still  nnbaptised  when  their  eyes 
first  rest  upon  its  pages. 

In  these  pages,  the  question  of  infant  baptism, 
however,  is  not  to  be  discussed.  Every  rebuke  of 
those  who  bring  little  children  to  Jesus,  that  he  may 
bless  them,  is  a  violation  of  his  command,  “  Forbid 
them  not,”  and  to  persuade  any  whom  he  has  so 
received  and  blessed  to  renounce  that  baptism  and 
seek  another,  must  be  left  to  more  daring  pens  than 
mine. 

Those,  too,  who  have  been  already  baptized  in 
their  maturer  years  are  not  here  particularly  ad¬ 
dressed.  In  any  right  view  of  adult  baptism  they 
will  find  something  to  remind  them  of  the  vows 
which  are  upon  them  as  soldiers  of  Christ  crucified. 
But,  enlisted  as  they  are,  they  need  not  be  urged  by 
the  summons  which  calls  men  to  his  banners.  Their 
task  is  now  to  fight  the  good  fight  manfully. 

For  unbaptized  readers  chiefly,  this  tract  is  in¬ 
tended.  They  must  be  at  this  moment  in  one  of  two 
classes ;  such  as  have  not ,  and  such  as  have ,  considered 
more  or  less,  the  question  whether  they  ought  not 
to  be  candidates  for  baptism. 

Those  to  whom  this  question  has  never  seriously 
occurred,  should  be  reminded  of  questions  even 
more  pressing  and  more  solemn.  The  reason  why 
it  has  not  occurred  must  be,  either  that  they  have 
thought  very  little  of  Christ  and  his  commands;  or, 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


5 


that  they  have  been  perfectly  conscious  of  their  utter 
unfitness  for  an  act  so  holy.  In  either  event,  the 
word  of  God  has  other  messages  for  them,  before  this 
can  come  with  power  to  their  conscience.  To  speak 
to  the  disbelieving,  the  profane,  the  vicious,  the 
frivolous,  or  the  worldly  and  merely  worldly,  of 
baptism  as  their  duty,  might  possibly  mislead, 
and  would  certainly  be  useless.  To  speak  of  bap¬ 
tism  as  the  duty  of  any,  however  sober,  moral,  or 
virtuous,  who  have  never  yet  asked  with  any  serious 
concern,  what  the  Lord  would  have  them  to  do, 
might  be  a  language  which  they  could  misinterpret. 
But  that  which  may  not  be  simply  and  strictly  their 
duty  till  they  are  otherwise  than  they  now  are,  is 
yet  to  be  before  them  in  all  its  authority  and  neces¬ 
sity,  as  a  duty  fastened  to  other  duties,  of  which  one 
and  all  are  as  binding  upon  them  as  upon  all  beside 
who  hear  the  Gospel.  They  may  be  startled  by  two 
reflections,  which,  in  some  thoughtful  hour,  may 
steal  upon  them,  and  refuse  to  be  dismissed. 
f^The  first  consideration  is  this.  Nothing  can  be 
more  certain  than  that  our  Lord  and  Saviour  has 
\ required  of  “every  creature’7  of  the  human  race  to 
Whom  his  word  shall  be  preached,  to  believe  and  to 
[be  baptized.  “He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized 
^shaff  be  saved.”  Baptism  is  as  plainly  enjoined  as 
belief;  not  as  in  itself  of  the  same  nature,  but  upon 
precisely  the  same  authority.  When  you  are  asked 
why  you  are  not  baptized,  your  answer  is,  in  sub¬ 
stance,  that  it  is  because  you  do  not  believe.  With 
neither  of  these  two  conditions,  therefore,  have  you 


6 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


complied ;  and  you  have  not  tlie  slightest  hold  upon 
the  promise  of  salvation.  You  disregard  one  com¬ 
mand  because  you  have  already  disregarded,  and 
still  continue  to  disregard,  another  and  a  higher. 
That  baptism  should,  under  all  circumstances,  be  a 
condition  of  salvation,  it  may  be  impossible  to  sup¬ 
pose  :  but  why  should  it  not  be  such  for  those  whose 
only  excuse  for  remaining  unbaptized  is  that  they 
are  neither  fit  nor  desirous  to  obey  a  divine  com¬ 
mandment  ?  In  offering  pardon  to  a  multitude  of 
guilty  men,  their  sovereign  might  require  them  to 
apply  for  a  certain  document,  which,  duly  attested, 
should  be  the  pledge  of  their  safety.  If  any  of  them, 
while  earnestly  desiring  to  comply  with  his  offers  of 
clemency,  yet  misunderstood  them,  or  were  unable 
to  perform  the  condition,  such  might  still  hope  and 
expect  from  a  just  and  merciful  sovereign  that  they 
should  not  suffer  for  their  involuntary  failure.  But 
surely  against  those  who  had  turned  scornfully  away 
from  every  offer,  the  absence  of  the  attested  docu¬ 
ment  would  be  evidence  enough.  Think  well  that, 
however  it  may  be  with  others,  the  want  of  baptism 
signifies  in  such  as  you  indifference  to  the  commands 
of  Christ  and  to  the  terms  of  salvation,  when  these 
commands  and  these  terms  have  been  declared  by 
him  with  exceeding  plainness  and  solemnity.  You 
read  them  in  the  very  commission  which  he  gave  to 
,  ^  his  apostles,  when  he  sent  them  and  their  successors 
into  all  the  world,  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  every 
creature  and  so  to  you. 

^  (^The  other  consideration  is,  that  the  unbaptized  are 

£ 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


7 


not  within  the  communion  of  the  Church  on  earth 
That  Church  is  a  society,  founded  by  our  Lord,  to 
bind  together  all  his  servants  in  one  sacred  fellow¬ 
ship.  He  names  it  his  temple,  his  spouse,  his  body. 
The  only  entrance  into  that  society  is  by  baptism. 
It  has  its  unworthy  members,  and  they  are  many : 
and  yet,  the  intention^of  Christ,  that  all  who  look  to 
him  for  salvation  should  be  its  members,  even  though 
tares  should  be  so  thick  among  the  wheat,  that  it 
should  rather  be  said  that  the  wheat  are  among  the 
tares ;  the  intention  of  Christ  that  every  Christian 
should  be  baptized,  and  thus  become  a  member  of 
his  visible  Church,  is  as  clear  as  any  other  one  thing 
in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  The  duties  of  such  mem¬ 
bership  you  have  never  discharged  or  attempted. 
The  privileges  of  such  membership  are  not  yours. 
It  is  a  very  serious,  a  very  awful  thing  to  remain  to 
the  end  without  the  fold  of  the  Good  Shepherd, 
when  he  has  come  to  seek  and  save  the  lost ;  to 
decline  enlisting  in  the  armies  of  the  Captain  of  sal¬ 
vation,  when  he  has  summoned  all  to  his  help  against 
the  mighty ;  and  to  determine,  under  the  full  light 
of  the  Gospel,  on  casting  in  your  lot  with  the  heathen. 
The  Bride,  as  well  as  the  Spirit,  has  said,  11  Come 
and  you  have  not  come.  You  might  have  entered  at 
any  hour,  but  you  have  chosen  to  wait  at  a  distance. 
You  never  thought  seriously  of  becoming  one  of  the 
company  of  Christians.  Those  who  belong  to  that 
company  may  well  remember  with  deep  solicitude 
that  within  their  outward  fellowship  there  is  still  an 
inward  communion  of  the  saints,  which  can  not  be 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


8 

severed  from  the  unfaithful  portion  of  the  Church 
till  the  final  harvest.  But  you  belong  neither  to  the 
inward  nor  to  the  outward  communion:  you  are  not, 
and  you  care  not  to  be,  members  of  the  Church 
visible  or  invisible.  Shut  out  by  your  own  willing 
act  and  persevering  choice,  from  the  society  of  which 
Christ  is  king,  here  below,  how  can  you  enter  that 
in  which  he  reigns  above?  It  can  not  be. 

We  now  turn  from  those  who  have  not,  to  those 
who  have ,  regarded  the  question  whether  they  ought 
not  to  receive  baptism,  as  one  of  personal  and  solemn 
duty.  Some  obstacle  bars  their  way.  It  may  be  a 
particular  view  of  the  nature  of  baptism ;  or  a  doubt 
whether  they  are  prepared  for  its  engagements ;  or 
a  mere  habit  of  consenting  to  delay  a  step  so  decided ; 
or  all  these  causes  may  have  been  combined,  to  pro¬ 
duce  neglect  till  now. 

Has  any  thing  in  your  view  of  the  nature  of  bap¬ 
tism  persuaded  you  that  you  ought  not  to  believe  it 
binding  upon  your  own  conscience  ? 

The  ordinance  of  Christian  baptism  originated, 
not  at  all  with  the  wisdom  of  the  Church,  but  simply 
from  the  will  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour.  He  said 
to  the  apostles,  “Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all 
nations^  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father, 
and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  teaching  then? 
to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded 
^you.7r  The  apostles  did  as  they  were  commanded 
They  preached  the  Gospel  everywhere,  and  the} 
baptized  those  by  whom  it  was  received.  On  ths 
day  of  Pentecost,  they  that  “gladly  received  th* 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


9 


word  of  Peter  were  baptized,'7  so  that  the  church  of 
Jerusalem  at  once  numbered  more  than  three  thou¬ 
sand.  When  the  Gospel  passed  on  to  Samaria,  they 
who  believed  “were  baptized,  both  men  and  women.77 
When  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  on  Cornelius  and  his 
friends,  those  first  fruits  of  the  Gentiles,  the  apostle 
Peter  at  once  exclaimed,  “  Can  any  man  forbid  water, 
that  these  should  not  be  baptized?77  When  “the 
Lord  opened  the  heart  of  Lydia,77  “  she  was  baptized, 
and  her  household.77  The  converted  jailer  at 
Philippi  “  was  baptized,  he  and  all  his  straightway.77 
It  was  the  practice,  always  and  everywhere,  of  those 
inspired  preachers ;  and  it  has  never  ceased  to  be  the 
practice  of  those  who,  following  in  their  steps,  have 
preached  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen.  In  all  Christian 
countries,  too,  the  person  who  has  professed  faith  in 
Christ,  and  a  desire  to  live  in  obedience  to  his  laws, 
has  been  exhorted,"  if  still ~TinBapHze37^ bap- 
tism  without  needlessUelay.  TTumerous  have  been 
the  divisions  amongst  Chnstians ;  but  as  to  this  duty, 
there  has  never  been  a  doubt  in  any  class,  with  one 
single  exception. 

That  exception  is  the  society  of  Friends,  or  Qua¬ 
kers.  It  is  a  society  which  has  embraced  some  per* 
sons  of  wide  benevolence.  It  is  a  society,  too,  which 
has  fallen  into  peculiar  delusions.  It  is  a  society  of 
human  and  recent  origin,  and  can  claim  to  be  no 
more.  That  the  churches  of  the  apostles  were  not 
associations  of  Quakers  is  as  certain  as  that  they 
existed  at  all.  They  had,  as  every  reader  of  the 
Scriptures  perfectly  knows,  the  baptism  of  water, 
1# 


10 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


and  the  breaking  of  bread;  and  these  ordinances  the 
Quakers  have  not.  The  fact  that  the  Quakers  have 
held  themselves  at  liberty  to  dispense  with  these 
ordinances,  as  less  spiritual  than  their  own  customs, 
can  have  no  weight  except  with  those  who  may 
regard  that  society  as  so  specially  guided  and  in¬ 
spired  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  they  may  undo  what 
the  apostles  did,  with  authority  at  least  equal  to  that 
of  the  apostles  themselves.  You  have  no  such 
opinion.  You  can  not  doubt  that  they  have  taken 
a  very  bold  and  awful  position  when  they  have 
taught  that  the  sacraments  ordained  by  Christ  ought 
not  to  be  observed.  They  profess  a  more  spiritual 
practice  than  that  of  our  Saviour,  who  was  baptized, 
and  commanded  his  apostles  to  baptize.  Such  a 
profession,  where  it  is  sincere,  is  an  appalling  error ; 
and,  should  it  ever  be  insincere,  must  be  something 
still  more  appalling. 

I  will  not  suppose,  then,  I  can  not  suppose,  that 
any  reader  really  doubts  the  authority  for  baptism. 
But  some  who  do  not  doubt  its  authority,  are  accus¬ 
tomed  to  view  it  as  only  an  act  of  profession.  They 
sometimes  add  that  religion  may  be  possessed,  where 
it  is  not  professed ;  and  often  the  thought  is  plainly 
cherished,  that  it  is  safer  as  well  as  easier  not  to 
assume  the  responsibility  of  a  profession  which  must 
be  sustained  by  a  religious  life.  They  who  thus 
reason  are  mistaken  indeed  in  their  idea  of  the 
Christian  profession  itself,  as  if  it  were  designed,  not 
so  much  to  honor  Christ  as  to  distinguish  Christians. 
It  is  honorable  to  him  that  his  name  should  be 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


11 


confessed  by  men ;  and  he  has  made  it  the  bounden 
duty  of  all.  They  who  do  it  make  no  profession  of 
their  own  holiness,  but  they  declare  his  power  and 
love,  and  acknowledge  their  obligation  and  propose 
to  be  his  servants.  Whoever  shrinks  from  this 
shrinks  from  religion  itself.  He  might  as  well  be 
afraid  to  promise  allegiance  to  his  country,  or  faith¬ 
fulness  to  his  consort.  Both  are  acts  of  profession ; 
and  yet  no  honest  citizen  or  true  husband  ever  re¬ 
fused  to  promise,  as  in  the  presence  of  the  Searcher 
of  hearts,  the  duty  which  he  meant  to  perform.  If 
baptism  were  but  an  act  of  profession,  it  would  be 
binding  still  upon  all  who  hope  for  salvation  through 
Christ ;  and  it  could  not  be  refused  by  any  to  whom 
Christ  and  his  cause  are  dear. 

But  baptism  is  not  merely  nor  chiefly  an  act  of 
profession :  it  is  a  test  of  obedience.  To  receive  it  is 
to  obey  him  who  has  a  right  to  command  the  ob¬ 
servance  of  any  test.  It  is  like  the  charge  to  Naaman 
to  bathe  seven  times  in  Jordan.  It  is  like  the  charge 
to  the  blind  man  to  wash  in  the  pool  of  Siloam. 
The  great  Healer  of  all  the  diseases  of  our  souls,  may, 
if  he  see  it  best,  couple  a  like  charge  with  their  res¬ 
toration  to  holiness  and  peace;  and  it  is  not  for  us 
to  discuss,  in  the  spirit  of  Naaman,  the  fitness  or 
necessity  of  the  arrangement.  It  is  enough  if  he  has 
bidden  us  “wash  and  be  clean.”  Do  we  wish  to  be 
healed  of  our  moral  leprosy  and  our  spiritual  blind¬ 
ness  ?  We  must  not  disobey,  because  we  can  not  see 
the  nature  of  the  connection  between  baptism  with 
water  and  baptism  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  We  must 


n 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


not  say  that  if  some  great  thing  had  been  required 
of  us,  we  would  have  done  it;  but  that,  since  the 
yoke  which  is  laid  upon  us  is  so  easy,  we  will  shake 
it  off,  and  hold  ourselves  blameless. 

Baptism  is  not  merely  a  sign  of  the  Christian  pro¬ 
fession,  and  a  test  of  obedience,  b^nt,  a  seal  of  the 
grant  of  forgiveness.  The  title  of  that  which  was 
administered  by  John  was,  “  baptism  for  the  remis¬ 
sion  of  sins and  it  was  administered  by  him  as  the 
forerunner  of  our  Saviour.  “Repent  and  be  bap¬ 
tized  for  the  remission  of  sins,”  was  the  exhortation 
of  Peter  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  “Arise,  and  be 
baptized,”  said  Ananias  to  Saul,  “and  wash  away 
thy  sins,  calling  on  the  name  of  the  Lord.”  In 
many  grave  transactions,  amongst  men,  there  is  some 
outward  sign,  without  which  the  transaction  is  not 
legally  valid  and  complete.  A  spot  of  land  is  not 
transferred  till  a  formal  deed  has  been  signed,  sealed, 
and  delivered.  A  marriage  has  not  taken  place, 
till  hands  have  been  joined,  and  vows  have  been 
uttered,  with  some  solemn  ceremonial,  in  the  presence 
of  witnesses.  A  right  to  the  privileges  of  naturali¬ 
zation  is  not  conferred  till  the  oath  of  citizenship  has 
been  taken.  A  grant  of  pardon  can  not  release  the 
prisoners,  till  it  has  the  seal  which  represents  the  su¬ 
preme  authority.  In  bestowing  his  mercies,  and 
establishing  his  covenant  with  men,  Grod  could  surely, 
if  it  seemed  good  to  him,  fix  some  such  sign  or  form, 
through  which  the  grant  of  forgiveness  should  be 
sealed  and  perfected.  It  is  a  simple  question  of 
fact,  whether  he  did  ordain  a  sign  like  these,  when 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


13 


he  commanded  that  men  should  be  baptized.  If  he 
commanded  that  they  should  be  “baptized  for  the 
remission  of  sins,”  that  question  is  decided.  His 
command  was  expressed  by  his  apostles  in  these  very 
words;  and  therefore  baptism  is  to  the  grant  of 
Divine  forgiveness  what  the  seal  is  to  the  warrant  of 
release  from  prison ;  what  the  deed  is  to  the  transfer 
of  land ;  what  the  oath  of  citizenship  is  to  the  right 
of  citizenship ;  what  the  marriage  ceremony  is  to  the 
marriage  union. 

Baptism  is  more  than  a  sign  of  profession,  a  test 
of  obedience,  and  a  seal  of  forgiveness :  it  is  also  the 
means  of  a  gift  of  grace.  By  grace  alone  are  we 
saved]  H^Tmay  dispense  his  grace  in  any  manner 
which  may  be  approved  by  his  perfect  wisdom ;  and 
the  mode  which  he  has  ordained  must  always  be  the 
best  and  the  most  effectual.  Is  prayer  his  appoint¬ 
ment?  Baptism  is  as  clearly  his  appointment.  Are 
we  required  to  hear  and  believe  his  word  ?  So  are 
we  required  to  be  baptized.  Prayer  is  a  means  ot 
grace,  in  one  form ;  the  word  is  another  means  in 
another  form ;  and  baptism  is  still  another  means  in 
another  form  ;  but  through  them  all  works  one  and 
the  selfsame  Spirit.  Does  any  doubt  the  operation 
of  that  Spirit  through  baptism?  “By  one  Spirit,” 
says  St.  Paul,  “are  we  baptized  into  one  body.” 
Does  any  say  that  the  inward  work  of  the  Spirit  is 
enough  without  the  outward  sacrament  ?  The  same 
apostle  has  associated  them  in  the  closest  union  of 
language.  “According  to  his  mercy  he  saved  us,  by 
the  washing  of  regeneration,  and  renewing  of  the 


14 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


Holy  Ghosts  Can  we  not  explain  the  connection, 
and  shall  we  therefore  doubt?  Our  Lord  has  at 
once  asserted  the  connection,  and  refused  the  ex¬ 
planation.  “  Except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and  ol 
the  Spirit,  he  can  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.” 
“  The  wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest 
the  sound  thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  whence  it 
cometh,  and  whither  it  goeth:  so  is  every  one  that 
is  born  of  the  Spirit.”  Is  this  to  make  baptism  a 
saving  ordinance?  St.  Peter  answers,  that  like  the 
ark  of  Noah,  “the  like  figure,  even  baptism,  doth 
now  save  us ;  not  the  putting  away  of  the  filth  of  the 
flesh,  but  the  answer  of  a  good  conscience  toward 
God.”  There  is  a  grace,  a  spiritual  blessing  in  this 
sacrament,  which  can  not  be  lightly  valued  till  we 
have  learned  our  belief  elsewhere  than  from  the 
Scriptures. 

Baptism  is  not  only  a  sign  of  the  Christian  pro¬ 
fession  ;  not  only  a  test  of  obedience ;  not  only  a  seal 
of  forgiveness ;  not  only  a  means  of  grace :  jt^is  like- 
wisejhe.gate ^of^ the  Christian  communion.  Within 
that  communion,  as  in  a  sacred  school,  the  faithful 
are  to  be  trained  up  for  the  employments  of  heaven. 
They  are  to  dwell  together  in  unity  and  brotherly 
love.  They  are  to  contend,  as  one  embattled  host, 
against  the  evil  that  is  in  the  world.  They  are  to 
offer  together,  as  with  one  voice  and  heart,  the  per¬ 
petual  sacrifice  of  praise  to  God  and  to  the  Lamb, 
as  it  is  for  ever  offered  in  the  celestial  temple.  The 
Church  is  much  divided;  and  at  different  periods 
and  in  different  parts,  it  has  been  much  darkened 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


15 


and  corrupted.  But  it  has  always  been  purer  than 
the  world  beside :  it  has  always  included  the  best  of 
men :  within  it  have  always  been  those  who  were 
united  by  that  love  which  was  the  proof  that  they 
were  born  of  God.  It  is  as  surely  the  abode  of  the 
divine  presence  as  was  the  temple  at  Jerusalem,  so 
often  defiled  yet  always  the  chief  resort  of  all  pious 
Israelites,  and  the  seat  of  the  divine  promises,  and 
the  spot  which  the  Lord  had  chosen  to  place  his 
name  there,  till  the  Desire  of  all  nations  had  come 
and  consecrated  it  more  than  ever  by  his  entrance 
within  its  courts.  I  do  not  now  speak  of  any  pre¬ 
ference  of  one  portion  of  the  Church  before  another, 
as  more  pure  in  practice,  more  scriptural  in  doctrine, 
or  more  perfect  in  organization.  But  into  no  portion 
of  the  Church  can  you  enter  without  the  baptismal 
sacrament:  Christ  placed  it  at  the  porch,  as  it  were, 
of  his  sanctuary.  You  may  possibly  have  been  ac¬ 
customed  to  think  of  the  Church  as  only  a  society 
of  more  advanced  Christians.  “A  church  member” 
is  sometimes  mentioned  as  one  who  has  entered  into 
pledges  of  his  own,  and  even  superfluous  pledges,  to 
exhibit  a  holiness  which  others  need  not  attain.  His 
faults  are  condemned  with  little  mercy,  while  the 
same  faults  in  others  are  taken  as  matters  of  course, 
because  they  are  not  of  the  body  of  Christian  “pro¬ 
fessors.”  The  modest  and  humble  might  avoid  such 
a  position.  They  wo  aid  choose  to  be  better  than 
they  seem,  rather  than  hazard  the  blame  of  seeming 
better  than  they  are.  But  the  Church  was  intended 
to  be  the  home,  not  of  the  most  mature  and  holy  of 
Christians,  only,  but  of  all  believers,  small  and  great, 


16 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


young  and  old,  weak  and  strong.  All  are  called  to 
be  there:  none  is  at  liberty  to  be  absent.  Whoever 
hopes  for  salvation  through  the  blood  of  Jesus  is 
bound  to  be  numbered  with  his  disciples ;  and  there¬ 
fore,  if  still  without  this  washing  of  water,  to  ask, 
like  every  convert  in  the  days  of  the  apostles,  “  what 
doth  hinder  me  to  be  baptized”  ? 

It  is  the  very  question  which,  at  times,  you  have 
been  asking.  The  reply  of  your  heart  has  probably 
been  that  you  doubted  whether  you  ought  to  seek 
baptism,  because  you  doubted  whether  you  were 
prepared  to  receive  it,  as  your  Saviour  meant  that  it 
should  be  received.  The  objection  is  sufficient,  if 
the  doubt  is  well  founded.  It  is  not  an  excuse,  but 
an  obstacle ;  an  obstacle  not  to  be  surmounted,  but 
to  be  removed.  Whether  baptism  be  viewed  as  a 
sign  of  profession,  as  a  test  of  obedience,  as  a  seal  of 
forgiveness,  as  a  means  of  grace,  or  as  an  admission 
to  communion,  no  one  could  wish  that  a  profligate 
or  an  unbelieving  man  should,  without  a  change, 
present  himself  for  this  act  of  consecration  ;  and  the 
same  causes  must  shut  out  others,  less  wicked,  but 
wicked  still.  He  certainly  did  not  intend  that  all 
men  without  distinction  should  be  admitted  to  his 
sacraments.  You  are  right  in  desiring,  before  you 
take  a  step  like  this,  to  know  whether  you  can  be¬ 
lieve  yourself  to  be  one  of  those  whom  he  intended 
to  admit,  and  whom  his  apostles  would  have  ad¬ 
mitted;  and  for  this  end,  to  know  what  are  the 
qualifications  for  baptism  which  the  word  of  God 
has  imposed,  and  which  it  is  the  duty  of  his  Church 
to  demand. 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


17 


Of  these  qualifications,  the  first  is,  a  knowledge  of 
the  Gospel.  Our  Lord  commanded  his  apostles  to 
“  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them”  in  the  name  of 
the  Holy  Trinity.  With  adult  persons,  teaching 
must  precede  baptism ;  and  he  who  is  taught  must 
learn  and  understand,  since  this  is  the  end  of  teach¬ 
ing.  Those  who  were  baptized  on  the  day  of  Pen¬ 
tecost  were  “they  that  gladly  received  the  word”  of 
Peter.  The  Ethiopian  eunuch  had  just  inquired  of 
Philip  the  meaning  of  Isaiah  in  a  certain  prophecy 
of  the  suffering  Messiah;  and  Philip  had  “begun  at 
the  same  Scripture,  and  preached  to  him  Jesus.” 
Saul,  before  his  baptism,  had  been  taught  by  the 
Lord  himself ;  taught  more  in  one  moment  than  we 
can  learn  from  the  study  of  volumes  on  the  doctrines 
or  evidences  of  Christianity.  Cornelius  declared 
that  he  and  his  friends  were  “  all  present  before  God 
to  hear  all  things  that  were  commanded”  the  apos¬ 
tle;  and  they  heard  before  they  were  baptized. 
Lydia  “  attended  to  the  things  which  were  spoken 
of  Paul”  before  she  was  baptized,  and  her  household. 
The  jailer  at  Philippi,  though,  after  the  earthquake 
which  released  his  prisoners,  “he  was  baptized,  he 
and  all  his  straightway,”  yet  was  not  baptized  till 
they  had  first  “spoken  unto  him  the  word  of  the 
Lord,  and  to  all  that  were  in  his  house.”  The  twelve 
disciples  of  John  the  Baptist  at  Ephesus,  heard  from 
Paul  how  John  had  testified  of  “  him  which  shall 
come  after  him;”  and  then  “they  were  baptized  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.”  Simple  and  brief,  in  all 
these  instances,  must  have  been  the  instruction. 
Much  more  has  been  placed  before  every  child  who 


18 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


has  learned  his  catechism.  Whatever  truths  were 
taught  by  the  apostles  at  such  times  are  preserved 
for  us  in  their  history  or  their  epistles.  They  are 
known  to  you  and  to  all  who  have  read  the  New 
Testament.  Yery  indistinct,  it  is  true,  are  often  the 
religious  ideas  of  those  who  must  yet  be  quite  fami¬ 
liar  with  the  words  of  the  Scriptures.  But  when 
the  heart  is  but  awakened,  the  very  truths  which  had 
been  so  indistinct  at  once  stand  forth  as  if  in  letters 
of  living  light.  They  have  long  since  been  presented 
to  the  understanding,  and  locked  up  in  the  memory 
Nothing  is  needed  to  make  the  meaning  clear  and  de 
cisive,  except  that  attention  which  is  always  given  by 
those  who  ask  indeed  what  they  must  do  to  be  saved. 
This  attention  made  the  hearers  of  the  Gospel  such 
rapid  scholars.  Where  this  attention  has  been  awak¬ 
ened,  that  knowledge  of  the  Gospel  which  has  been 
gathered  from  childhood  upward,  is  at  once  sufficient 
to  guide  the  soul  to  its  Redeemer  and  its  duty.  You 
can  have  no  doubt  that  you  have,  or  that  at  least 
in  a  few  days  or  hours  you  could  obtain,  so  much  of 
this  knowledge  as  is  required  in  a  candidate  for 
Christian  communion.  It  is  well  that  every  such 
candidate  should  employ  himself  diligently  in  the 
study  of  the  Scriptures,  as  a  special  preparation  ; 
for,  his  knowledge  can  not  be  too  clear  or  too  abun¬ 
dant.  But  it  is  not  well,  it  is  utterly  wrong,  that  he 
should  wait  till  on  every  question  of  Christian  doc¬ 
trine  he  has  arrived  at  conclusions  founded  upon  his 
own  inquiries,  and  perfectly  satisfactory  to  his  own 
understanding.  Such  an  one  would  cease  to  be  a 
learner,  a  disciple,  before  lie  takes  upon  him  the 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


19 


character  of  a  disciple.  That  knowledge  is  enough 
to  prepare  for  baptism,  which  is  enough  to  show  the 
way  to  Christ  and  to  heaven. 

A  second  part  of  the  preparation  is  faith,  corre¬ 
sponding  with  our  knowledge.  Belief  and  baptism 
had  been  coupled  in  the  promise  of  our  Saviour. 
When  the  Ethiopian  asked,  “  What  doth  hinder  me 
to  be  baptized?5’  Philip  replied,  “If  thou  believest 
with  all  thy  heart,  thou  mayest.”  “I  believe,”  he 
answered,  “  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God 
and  in  this  faith  he  went  down  into  the  water. 
When  the  Samaritans  “  believed  Philip,  preaching 
the  things  concerning  the  kingdom  of  God  and  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ,  they  were  baptized,  both  men 
and  women;”  and  Simon  the  sorcerer  “himself  be¬ 
lieved  also  and  was  baptized.”  “Believe  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved,  and  thy 
house,”  was  the  promise  of  Paul  and  Silas  to  the 
jailer  before  his  baptism.  The  very  administration 
in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  expresses  and  exacts  belief  in  the 
Creator,  Kedeemer,  and  Sanctifier.  Every  church 
accordingly  requires  before  baptism  some  distinct 
profession  of  Christian  belief.  But  what,  you  may 
ask,  is  the  kind  of  belief  which  is  required  ?  There 
is  a  belief  which  overcomes  the  world,  which  proves 
itself  by  its  works,  which  justifies,  which  saves ; 
and  there  is  a  belief  which  merely  assents  to  the  facts 
of  religion.  The  former  you  are  afraid  to  profess ; 
the  latter  you  certainly  can  avow.  No  exact  defini¬ 
tions  and  descriptions  are  here  given  us  by  the  Scrip¬ 
tures.  They  speak  a  language  which  is  to  be  con- 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


oa 

iyv 


strued  by  common-sense  and  earnest  feeling.  Tcj 
common-sense  and  earnest  feeling  it  is  plain  that  it 
can  not  aid  the  salvation  of  a  bad  man,  that  he  believes 
certain  events  to  have  occurred,  which  have  no  in¬ 
fluence  on  his  conduct  and  character.  It  is  just  as 
plain  that  when  the  simple  proposition  is  uttered, 
“  If  thou  belie  vest  with  all  thine  heart,  thou  mayest,” 
nothing  more  is  meant  than  a  simple,  entire,  hearty 
acceptance  of  the  truth  which  has  been  announced 
and  understood.  No  snare  is  laid  for  the  feet  of  the 
inquirer.  No  mystical  meaning  hides  itself  from 
him  at  the  very  threshold  of  Christianity.  The  be¬ 
lief  which  is  required  before  baptism  is  an  honest 
reliance  of  the  mind  and  heart  upon  the  truth  of  the 
Gospel,  upon  the  truth  of  the  proclamation,  11  that 
God  was  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unto  him- 
self.” 

When  the  Apostle  Paul,  in  those  very  words,  de¬ 
clared  the  Gospel,  and  immediately,  as  an  ambassa¬ 
dor  of  Christ,  prayed  his  readers  “  to  be  reconciled 
to  God,”  he  expressed  thus  the  third  requisition.  It 
is  that  which  remains  on  our  part  towards  perfect 
reconciliation,  when  every  hindrance  on  the  part  of 
our  Maker  and  his  law  has  been  removed.  It  is  re¬ 
pentance  ;  and  repentance  is  the  change  of  the  mind 
and  heart  from  following  sin  to  renouncing  sin.  In 
such  an  act  the  whole  man  acts ;  and  the  action  is 
simple,  intelligible,  reasonable,  and  our  conscience 
bears  witness,  as  if  with  ten  thousand  voices,  that  it 
is  just,  right,  and  necessary.  Without  such  a  resolve 
against  sin,  we  perfectly  feel  and  know  that  sin  can 
never  be  washed  away.  Men  cut  to  the  heart  in- 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


21 


quired  of  Peter  and  the  other  apostles,  “  What  shall 
we  do?’7  and  Peter  said  unto  them,  “Repent,  and  be 
baptized,  every  one  of  you,  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  for  the  remission  of  sins.”  They  were  not  en¬ 
couraged  to  linger  till  they  could  bring  forth  fruits 
meet  for  repentance.  They  were  baptized,  that,  their 
guilt  being  blotted  out,  they  might  receive  the  gift 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  be  fruitful  in  good  works, 
unto  life  eternal.  It  is,  in  fact,  impossible  to  be 
poised  equally  between  two  sides  in  that  great  con¬ 
test  which,  in  this  world,  and  in  our  very  hearts,  is 
carried  on  between  God  and  his  enemies  and  ours. 
We  are  against  him,  or  on  his  side;  and  when  we 
lay  down  the  weapons  of  our  rebellion,  we  become 
at  once  his  servants.  He  who  is  not  prepared  to  re¬ 
nounce,  for  the  remainder  of  his  days,  the  service 
of  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil ;  he  who  has 
not  determined  that  by  God’s  help,  he  will  walk, 
to  the  end  of  his  days,  in  the  way  of  God’s  com¬ 
mandments;  he  certainly  has  no  repentance,  and 
must  not  come  to  the  baptismal  waters.  But  he 
who,  after  a  faithful  examination  of  his  heart,  feels 
that  his  choice  is  made,  should  not  ask  to  tarry  till 
he  has  further  proofs  of  the  reality  of  his  penitence. 
He  can  have  no  proof  which  will  not  leave  it  open 
to  him  to  suspect  himself,  whenever  his  diligence  in 
making  his  calling  and  election  sure  shall  decline. 
He  can  have  no  proof  which  will  secure  him  against 
the  utter  disappointment  of  all  his  hope  at  last,  if 
he  shall  hereafter  turn  back  unto  perdition. 

Such  is  the  preparation  for  adult  baptism ;  such 
knowledge,  such  faith,  swell  repentance.  The  neces* 


22 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


sary  knowledge  is  certainly  yours.  If  you  have 
begun  to  inquire  with  earnestness  whether  you  also 
possess  the  necessary  faith  and  repentance,  you  must 
be  in  one  of  three  states  of  mind ;  either  persuaded 
— I .  do  not  say,  assured — that  you  have  them  ;  or 
persuaded  that  you  have  them  not ;  or  quite  in  un¬ 
certainty.  If  you  are  quite  in  uncertainty,  that  un¬ 
certainty  ought  now  to  have  an  end.  For,  you  have 
only  to  push  the  inquiry  with  sincerity  and  steadfast¬ 
ness  a  little  longer,  and  you  will  reach  a  degree  of 
certainty  which  is  sufficient  to  govern  your  conduct. 
The  balance  will  hang  on  one  side  or  on  the  other, 
decidedly. 

What,  then,  if  you  are  persuaded,  reasonably  per¬ 
suaded,  that  you  have  not  from  your  heart  accepted 
Christ  as  your  Lord,  and  His  gospel  as  your  hope, 
and  are  not  prepared  to  promise,  in  the  strength  of 
God,  renunciation  of  sin,  and  obedience  to  his  com¬ 
mandments  ?  It  then  remains  for  you  to  determine 
whether  this  shall  longer  be  so ;  whether  you  will 
turn,  and  go  on  your  way,  without  hope  and  without 
God,  and  live  a  little  longer  without  the  fellowship 
of  the  Church  on  earth,  liable  to  hear,  on  any  day, 
that  summons  which,  finding  you  thus,  must  shut 
you  out  from  the  fellowship  of  the  Church  in  heaven. 
So  it  need  not  be,  for  if  there  be  truth  in  the  Gospel, 
you  can  obtain,  without  money  and  without  price,  that 
for  want  of  which  your  soul  is  perishing.  u  Who¬ 
soever  will,  let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely.” 

If,  on  the  contrary,  you  are  persuaded,  reasonably 
persuaded,  that  with  the  heart  you  believe  and  trust 
in  the  Redeemer  of  mankind,  and  that  from  the 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


28 


heart  you  renounce  Satan  and  sin,  your  way  is  as 
plain  as  that  of  Israel  on  the  border  of  the  Red 
Sea.  In  the  cloud  and  in  the  sea  they  were  baptized 
unto  Moses.  Like  them,  11  go  forward.”  You  must 
not  hesitate  to  advance  wherever  the  command  of 
your  Saviour,  like  the  pillar  of  the  cloud,  directs 
your  way.  No  false  humility,  no  real  timidity,  no 
willingness  to  be  tried  by  a  lower  standard  than  that 
of  the  Christian  profession,  no  desire  to  rise  above 
the  standard  by  which  you  are  judged  amongst  men, 
no  habit  of  delaying  acts  of  serious  decision,  must 
be  permitted  to  prevail.  It  is,  of  course,  easier  to 
stand  still ;  to  assume  no  responsibilities  ;  to  encoun¬ 
ter  no  public  notice;  to  take  up  no  cross;  to  be 
better  than  your  profession ;  to  do  more  for  religion 
than  you  have  undertaken,  because  you  have  under¬ 
taken  nothing.  It  is  easier,  if  you  have  no  glowing 
love  of  Christ — if  your  conscience  can  suffer  you  to 
be  at  rest  in  the  neglect  of  his  laws,  and  if  you  at¬ 
tach  no  preciousness  to  the  seals  of  his  covenant,  the 
instruments  of  his  grace,  or  the  fellowship  of  his  peo¬ 
ple.  But  with  you  I  have  supposed  it  to  be  other¬ 
wise  ;  and  if  it  be  otherwise,  you  will  never  be  satis¬ 
fied  till,  having  believed,  you  have  been  also  bap¬ 
tized,  for  the  service  and  in  the  name  of  the  Father, 
and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Not  there,  however,  will  you  pause.  It  would  be 
a  dreadful  error,  to  think  of  baptism  as  a  point 
which  once  reached,  was  to  be  deemed  the  place  of 
safety.  It  is  not  the  end,  so  much  as  the  beginning, 
of  Christian  soldiership.  The  race,  the  battle,  the 
business  of  serving  Gorl,  purifying  the  heart,  and 


ADULT  BAPTISM. 


24 

working  out  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling,  still 
follows.  All  the  Epistles  of  the  New  Testament, 
with  all  their  reproofs  and  exhortations,  were  written 
to  baptized  persons.  Baptism  is  but  a  step,  though 
a  most  solemn  and  sacred  one,  upon  the  road,  which 
leads  through  duties,  ordinances,  conflicts,  tempta¬ 
tions,  comforts,  and  defeats  and  triumphs,  to  glory, 
honor,  and  immortality. 

When  you  clearly  perceive  the  duty  of  receiving 
baptism,  and  humbly  trust  that  you  are  prepared  to 
take  it  upon  you,  let  me  counsel  you  to  seek  such 
conference  with  your  pastor  as  may  tend  to  make 
your  approach  to  the  sacramental  fold  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  most  unhesitating,  tranquil,  and  joyful.  In  the 
administration  and  reception  of  baptism  there  should 
be  no  abruptness.  Some  time  should  be  set  apart 
for  special  prayer,  and  meditation,  as  the  occasion 
draws  nigh.  Let  some  friends  in  whose  Christian 
sincerity  and  fidelity  you  can  have  confidence  attend 
you  to  the*)font,  that  you  may  have  companions  on 
your  course  who  will  not  see  you  depart  hereafter 
from  the  safe  and  narrow  way,  without  fulfilling  the 
office  of  a  faithful  friend.  Having  endeavored  to 
assist  you  thus  far,  nothing  is  left  for  me  but  to  speak 
once  more,  as  Ananias  spoke,  when  the  Lord  had 
sent  him  to  one  who  had  just  been  brought  out  of 
darkness  into  light,  and  who  was  to  become  a  glo¬ 
rious  leader  in  the  army  of  believers,  and  to  be  wel¬ 
comed  as  a  good  and  faithful  servant  to  a  dazzling 
and  everlasting  crown  of  righteousness.  “And  now, 
why  tarriest  thou  ?  arise,  and  be  baptized,  and  wash 
away  thy  sins,  calling  on  the  name  of  the  Lord.” 


